McDonald’s Cowboy Closeups hid menu icons inside Western fashion

A yellow fringe could be a row of McDonald’s fries. The decoration on a cowboy hat could resemble a Big Mac. Look again at the stitching and a Vanilla Cone might appear.

McDonald’s Canada used these visual similarities for Cowboy Closeups, an outdoor campaign created for the 2025 Calgary Stampede. Instead of placing food photography beside cowboy imagery, it disguised familiar menu items inside the details of Western clothing.

The campaign was created by Cossette Vancouver as a tribute to the Canadian farmers, ranchers and rural communities behind the food served by McDonald’s.

McDonald’s food disappeared into cowboy clothing

Cowboy Closeups focused closely on hats, jackets, belt buckles, embroidery and leatherwork. Each photograph contained a McDonald’s menu item hidden within the materials.

Yellow strips of jacket fringe resembled World Famous Fries. The layers and colours used in Western accessories formed the shape of a Big Mac. Curves, stitching and decorative patterns suggested the outline of a classic Vanilla Cone.

The images did not require large product photographs to explain the brand. McDonald’s menu items were recognisable through their familiar colours, shapes and proportions.

Viewers could first see a piece of Western fashion and then discover the food reference after taking a closer look. This gave the posters a visual puzzle suited to busy outdoor locations.

The illusions were handmade

The creative team studied the fabrics, shapes and symbols commonly associated with Western fashion. The challenge was to make every object look believable as clothing while still resembling a McDonald’s product.

If a hat looked too much like a burger, the illusion became obvious. If it looked too much like an ordinary hat, the McDonald’s connection disappeared. The same balance was required for the fries and Vanilla Cone executions.

Rather than building everything through digital manipulation, the production team handcrafted the clothing and accessories used in the photographs. Embroidery, beadwork, piping, leather and fringe were physically constructed before being photographed.

The process included several prototypes, including decorated hats and a bright red shirt with yellow fringe. Keeping the objects real helped the textures, folds and shadows feel like genuine Western clothing.

The campaign recognised Canadian agriculture

The visual idea also connected McDonald’s with the people supplying ingredients for its Canadian menu.

At the time of the campaign, McDonald’s Canada highlighted its use of Canadian beef, potatoes and dairy. Cowboy Closeups linked those ingredients with the farmers and ranchers represented by the Calgary Stampede.

This allowed the brand to participate in the event through a subject connected to both its food and the surrounding culture. Western clothing represented the Stampede, while the hidden menu items represented the agricultural communities behind McDonald’s.

The campaign treated local sourcing as part of the creative idea rather than placing it in a separate corporate message.

Cowboy Closeups appeared across Calgary

The outdoor and social campaign ran from July 4 to July 13, matching the dates of the 2025 Calgary Stampede.

The work appeared across Calgary while the city welcomed rodeo audiences, visitors and members of Canada’s agricultural community. Its close-up photography was designed to reward people who stopped and looked at the details.

McDonald’s also brought a custom-wrapped McFlurry trailer to the Stampede grounds. It served soft serve made with Canadian dairy and included a gamified photo wall.

Visitors could collect campaign merchandise such as boot pins and Western-themed T-shirts, taking the idea beyond the posters and into the event itself.

Cowboy Closeups gave McDonald’s a way to join Stampede culture without covering traditional Western imagery with oversized logos and product shots. The menu was already present. People simply had to look closely enough to find it.

Credits

Cowboy Closeups, 2025. Client McDonald’s Canada. Creative agency and production by Cossette Vancouver. Senior Art Director Shona Massey. Associate Creative Director and Writer Michael Pal. Photographer Kate Ince. Costume Designer Matea Pasaric. Producers Jennifer Sinclair and Gianna Blasutto. Strategy Director Olly Owen. Account Directors Pam Santana and Jasmine Hanley. General Manager Robyn Smith. Retouching by Kate Ince, Stephen Yeung, Trevor Gauthier and Graham Washer. Media by OMD. Public relations by Weber Shandwick Toronto. McDonald’s Canada Western Marketing Camila Merlano.